SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for "Closure," the latest episode of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Rosalind Price is dead! Long live Rosalind Price! In the startling opening to "Closure," the latest episode of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Grant Ward (Brett Dalton) of Hydra fame brutally murdered Price in front of Director Coulson (Clark Gregg). As Coulson held the dying Price in his arms, Ward called his one-time mentor and made his motivation clear: this was revenge for Kara, who Ward inadvertently murdered in the Season 2 finale. Now, Coulson is on the hunt for Ward, and he's willing to do just about anything to get back at the traitor, a development that has dramatically altered the course of the show.
"Agents of SHIELD" Recap: Coulson Declares All-Out Ward
Constance Zimmer, who plays the ill-fated head of the A.T.C.U., spoke to CBR News about her all-too-short stint on the show, unraveling the mystery of Rosalind Price, the endless possibilities of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (including the potential for a return, even after death), her love for the fans and more.
CBR News: Let's kick things off by talking about that huge twist at the beginning of the episode. Is Rosalind Price truly dead?
Constance Zimmer: [Laughs] I don't know what you're talking about!
Were you aware this would happen when you signed on for the role, or did they wait until just before the episode filmed to let you know?
They definitely waited for quite a while. I had no idea how I was going to be leaving; I just knew at some point I had to leave, but I didn't know how. When they told me how, it was definitely a shocker. It's not just like, "Leave a note on the pillow and walk out the door." It's so final that it was so disturbing!
Is there any chance we might see Roz again, in a flashback or otherwise?
What I love about the Marvel world is anything is possible. I'll leave you with that.
There are still a lot of secrets surrounding Roz and her mysterious background; it's not even clear if we know her real name. Do you know if we'll learn any more about the character, despite her death?
That's a good question. I think, ultimately, she was always kind of meant to stay a mystery, because -- with any kind of these secret organizations and what they do -- there's something to be told in the untold. Maybe, with us not knowing as much, it allows there to be storylines for something else to be divulged later down the road -- that it's good we didn't give it all away right away.
One of the hallmarks of the Marvel Universe is that death rarely sticks for its characters. If there was some kind of eleventh hour miracle and you had the opportunity to return to "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." as Roz, would you take it?
Oh, absolutely! It's been such an incredible experience behind the camera, in front of the camera, through social media, the fans -- I had no idea this Marvel Universe is so incredible and they're so devoted to their characters. It's really made the experience that much more fun.
Truthfully, the fans have just been so incredible. I hope they're not crushed too much by tonight! You know, you have to admit, [Rosalind's death] drives a bigger story for Coulson, which I think is pretty incredible.
What about the role initially drew you to it?
You know, I was really excited to be working with Clark [Gregg]. I've been a fan for years and had known him a little bit socially but had never gotten a chance to work with him. I was definitely excited about getting to work with him, and I definitely think it truly was the excitement of being part of a Marvel Universe show and how big those shows are, how I've never done anything like it before. I wish I could say it was the character, but I didn't even know what the character was when I signed on! [Laughs] That was also really exciting, to kind of just trust the writers. They're so great; they did such an incredible job of making Rosalind this character that you really didn't know if you were supposed to like her or not. My job was to make sure that people liked me no matter what; I kind of felt like that was important because it was such a short run. I felt like we had a lot to do in a short amount of time. It was a combination of things that drew me to it.
Can you tell us a little about your favorite experience on set?
Obviously, the majority of my scenes were with Clark. I look back fondly to our first interaction together on the subway, because I actually had no idea who Rosalind was. It was fun to be able to do that banter with Clark in character and be able to kind of just give him back what he was giving me. It was such an incredibly equal match of characters and actors. It was so much fun, even though I had no idea what my ride was going to be. I'm just really excited that it then kind of exceeded all expectations.
The world of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." is very firmly established, both in the comics and in the films. Did you do any research for the role?
You know, I didn't. I'm really weird like that and I feel like at some point it's going to get me in trouble down the line, but I tend to try and do my research based just on my take on the character and not being influenced by outside information so much, because I think sometimes that gets you in trouble. Again, I give a lot of credit to the writers, because they were telling the story to me as I went, and so I gained knowledge as the character was evolving. It was very much a team effort.
If you were Inhuman and went through Terrigenesis, what super power would you want to end up with?
Of course I would like to say that I could fly. That to me feels like you could get out of anything at any time because you could just take off, but I know it's not that much of a super power, so I would kind of like to combine being invisible and being able to fly. I think you could gain so much being in a location and finding out information when people don't know you're there to get it. You could then thrive off their weaknesses.
That is such a spy response!
It's weird! [Laughs] I've been living in that world for a while. Maybe that's where it comes from.
Starring Clark Gregg, Chloe Bennet and Ming-Na Wen, "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." airs Tuesdays at 9 pm EST on ABC.